Ore-separator.



J. F. PAGETT. on SEPARATORJ APPLICATION FILED 00T.12,1907.

Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

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THE mmms PETERS co), wnsumcmrv, n. c

J. r. PAGETT. ORE SEPARATORI APP-LIOATION FILED Q01. 12, 1907.

Patented Oct 6, 1908.

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:r. F. PAGETT. ORE SEPARATORJ APPLICATION FILED 00'1.12, 1907.

Patented Oct. 6, 1-908.

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Ill/I III/II INVENTOR. J.F Pageff WITNESSES:

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UNITED STATES JOSEPH F. PAGETT, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

ORE-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

Application filed. October 12, 1907. Serial No. 397,173.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH F. PAGETT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore- Separators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ore separators and more especially in the class of machines in which the separation of the values from the extraneous matter in pulverized ore, is effected by means of blasts of air which hold the pulverized matter in suspension for a period sufliciently long to permit the heavier and valuable particles to drop upon a subjacent surface while the lighter constituents are carried onward.

The object of my invention is to provide a device in which simplicity of construction is combined with thorough practicability in use, which may be employed with equal results to effect a clear separation of the mineral bearing matter from the gangue or pulver ized rock, or to separate the auriferous or so-called black sand from the earth and gravel in placer mining, and in which the accumulated values are automatically discharged, at regular predetermined intervals, from the surface upon which they were deposited during the operation of the apparatus.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated and in which Figure 1-represents a plan view of the machine, Fig. 2'a central, longitudinal section thereof, Fig. 3-a fragmentary, transverse section, Figs. 4 and 5enlarged cross sectional views of the shaking riflie box, Figs. 6 and 7-enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinally sectional views of the said box with the discharge plate in the closed and opened positions, Fig. 8, a fragmentary sectional view of the rear portion of the device showing the means employed to periodically actuate the sliding discharge plate, Fig. 9.a fragmentary end elevation of the machine, Fig. 10, an enlarged fragmentary section taken along a line 10-10, Fig. 8, Fig. 11a cross sec tion taken along the line,1l-11, Fig. 10 and Fig. 12a fragmentary lan view of the upper end of the sliding p ate.

Referring to the drawings, the reference characters 2 designate four standards which are arranged in pairs respectively at the head and foot end of the machine, and from which the riflie box 3 is transversely movably suspended by means of thereto pivotally attached hangers 4. The hangers at the foot end of the device are connected at their upper ends with the lower extremities of adjusting screws 5 which extend loosely through vertical apertures in the respective standards 2 and are held in position thereon by means of nuts 6. This arrangement allows ready regulation of the longitudinal inclination of the box or trough 3, which .may be varied in accordance with the nature of the material under treatment.

To prevent independent longitudinal movement of the box, I provide the same with stops 54 which are arranged to engage a plate 55 which connects the standards at the upper or head end of the machine. A shaft 7 rotatably mounted in boxes 8 upon two of the standards at one side of the machine, carries eccentrics 9 which are connected by means of rods 10 with the suspended element for the purpose of imparting a transverse reciprocating movement thereto. A rotary movement may be transmitted to the shaft 7 from any convenient source of power, through the instrumentality of a pulley 12..

,The riflie box 3 is composed of a rectangular frame formed of two parallel longitudinally arranged angle beams 13 which are connected at their extremities by trans-' versely disposed, parallel tee irons 14.

' Rigidly secured against the outer surfaces of the beams 13 and projecting above their upper surfaces, are two air boxes or conduits 15, which extend longitudinally from the lower end of the frame to a point beyond its upper extremity where they are connected by means of a transverse flue 16 which by means ofa flexible connection 17, communicates with a blower or analogous contrivance, which for obvious reasons has been omitted from the drawings. A plate 18, provided with a series of transverse, equidistantly arranged slots 19, is disposed upon the frame intermediate the upper flanges of the parallel beams 13, and is longitudinally movably supported upon a series of transverse antifriction rollers 20 which are rotatably mounted in boxes 21 placed contiguous with the inner, vertical surfaces of the said beams. Springs 22 in engagement with the lower portion of the boxes and with subjacent inwardly projecting stationary brackets 23 on the beams 13, are applied to maintain a contact between the upper surface of the plate 18 and the lower surfaces of a plurality of rittles Qt which being disposed transversely in between the longitudinal conduits 15, are secured to the latter by stay rods 25" and to the beams 13 by means of bolts 26 The rifiies 24: are hollow, trapezoidal in cross section and provided at one of their convergent sides with a longitudinally extending slot-like orifice 25 which being formed by the lapping ends of the upper and lower portions of which the said side is composed, is designed to emit air, contained in the rittles, in an upward direction. hen secured in the manner hereinbefore described, the rittles cover the slots 19 in the plate 18 and communicate with the interior of the two conduits 15 by means of apertures 26 in the inner sides thereof. Vashers 27 placed in between the sides of the conduits and the ends of the rittles insure an air tight connection. The riftles are arranged in relation to the other members of the device so that the sides having the orifices 25, face the lower or foot end of the machine and the narrowest ones of their parallel sides are in engagement with the upper surface of the plate 18. The riffles thus placed form with their upwardly extending, rearmost, closed sides a plurality of acute pockets 28 in which the valuable particles of the auriferous matter under treatment, accumulate, as will be described hereinafter. The upper extremity of the longitudinally slidable plate 18 has an outwardly projecting, transversely adjustable lug 29 which is pivotally connected with the slotted upper end of a bell crank lever 30. The latter is fulcrumed upon the lower end of a bracket 31 which depends from the adjacent cross beam 14 with which it is transversely adjustably connected.

The opposite or inner extremity of the bell crank lever has a downwardly ranging pro jection 32 which engages the circumferential surface of one of a series of wheels 33 mounted in consecutive order upon a shaft 34: which extends transversely of the adjacent standards 2 and is rotatably supported thereon in boxes A second shaft 36, mounted in boxes 37, in parallel relation to and below the first named shaft 35, carries a sprocket wheel 38 which by means of a chain 39 is operatively connected with a corresponding wheel 40 upon a third, transversely disposed shaft 11 which receives a rotary movement from the line shaft 7 through instrumentality of a set of meshing bevel gear wheels 42 and 43. The first one of the series of wheels upon the shaft 34, which in the drawings is designated by the reference numeral 33, has a plurality of peripheral, equidistant cogs and the chain 39 is provided with a detent tt adapted to engage the said cogs and to thus cause a partial revolution ol the wheel The other, successively arranged wheels 33 are each provided with one peripheral cog -15 and with an integral ratchet wheel 4-6 which when the wheels are assembled upon the shaft, extends into the interior of the preceding wheel and in close proximity to a notched wheel 4-? lixed upon the shaft 34. The last named wheel whose diameter is equal to that of the ratchet wheel has a peripheral depression cl? which permits a pawl or dog l-S pivoted within the adjoining wheellil and which extends over both the wheels 116 and 17, to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel, once during each revolution of the wheel to which it is at tached.

Each time the chain 37 travels a distance equal to its length, the detent tat engages a tooth of the wheel 32 and causes the latter to revolve a distance equal to the distance between two successive teeth. lVhen the wheel 33 has completed one revolution, the pawl mounted in the adjoining wheel 32, engages, as hereinabove explained, ratchet of the first named wheel with the result that the said adjoining wheel is advanced a distance equal to the length of one of the interdental spaces of the ratchet wheel and when the second wheel has completed its revolution a partial rotation is, in a similar manner imparted to the third wheel. which in its turn intermittently actuates the fourth wheel and so on to the last wheel which, when the parts are in the relative positions shown .in the drawings, engages the extremity of the bell crank lever. During each revolution of this last. wheel of the series, the cog upon its periphery engaging the projection 32 on the bell crank, causes the latter to turn about its axis with the result that the slotted extremity of its upwardly ranging arm, moving rearwm'dly. draws the sliding plate 18 in the same direction. The upward, longitudinal movement of the plate 18 brings the openings it) which normally are covered by the. rillles it, to a position below the acute pockets 28, as illustrated in Fig. 7, with the result that the therein accumulated matter is free to discharge into a discharge trough 4-9, which is secured to the lowermost portions of the angle beams 13 and which conveys the said matter into a subjacent receptacle it). The moment the projection 45 upon the wheel 33 is disengaged from the extremity of the bell crank lever by further rotative movement of the said wheel, a spring .72.) applied atthe foot end of the plate 18, returns the latter to its original position.

It will be manifest that the number of movements of the plate 18 during a certain period, may be varied by moving the ln'aclwt 31 and the lug 29 together with the therewith connected bell crank 30, transversely the lltl

so as to bring the latter in engagement with any one of the different wheels 33, whose revolutions decrease in number in ratio to their progressional position in relation to the wheel 33. v

Having thus described the mechanical construction of the apparatus, its operation will be readily understood. The pulverized ores, or in case the device is used in placer mining the sand and gravel, are fed from the hopper 51 at the head end of the machine, upon an apron 52 from where it drops into the space intermediate the upper two riffles and in the path of the current of air which being conducted from the blower into the riffies by means of the fiues 15, 16 and 17, is emitted therefrom in an upward direction through the orifices 25. The heaviest particles of the metallic constituents of the ore or sand fall by reason of their proportionately greater specific gravity upon the plate 18 and against the adjacent riflle 24; while the lighter matter is carried onward to the space intermediate the next two riifies where it is subjected to the infiuence of asecond current of air with the result that the heaviest particles contained in the residual matter drop into the subjacent pocket 28. This action is repeated until the lowermost riflle at the foot end of the'device is reached at which point the worthless matter or gangue is permitted to drop. over the edge of the box. The transverse vibratory movement of the riffie box greatly aids in the even' distribution of the matter discharged from the hopper andin the separation of its constituents in ratio to their proportionate specific gravity, while the downward movement of the ore may be regulated in accordance with its nature, by adjustment of the longitudinal inclination of the box.

The valuable matter accumulating behind the riflies 241, is automatically discharged'at predetermined intervals, by means of the mechanism hereinbefore described and the length of the said intervals may readily be regulated in accordance with the character of the ore or other matter under treatment.

It will be observed that by reason of the outflow of air from the riffies occurring a certain distance above the surface of the plate 18, the values in the pockets 28, remain 2. In an ore separator, an inclined trough including longitudinally disposed air fiues, and a plurality of transverse hollow rifiles upon the plate connected with the said fiues, the said riffies having air outlets in one of their sides.

3. In an ore separator, a member having annicllned surface, a plurallty of trans verse hollow rifl'les thereon and means to conduct air into the latter, the said rifiles having downwardly converging sides and a longitudinal orifice in one of the latter.

4. In an ore separator, a member having an inclined surface, a plurality of transverse hollow riffies thereon and means to conduct air into the latter, the said rifiles having downwardly converging sides, and an upwardly ranging orifice in one of them.

5. In an ore separator, a member having an inclined surface, a plurality of trans verse hollow rifiies thereon and means to conduct air into the latter, the said rifl'les having downwardly converging sides, one of which is composed of an upper portion and an overlapping portion spaced therefrom.

6. In an ore separator, a movable, apertured element, a plurality of riffles held in superposed relation thereto and normally covering the apertures therein, and means to adjust the position of the said element in relation to the said rifiles so as to uncover the said apertures.

7. In an ore separator, a movable, apertured element, a plurality of rifiles held in superposed relation thereto and normally covering the apertures therein, and means to automatically adjust at predetermined in tervals, the position of the said element in relation to the said riffies so as to uncover the said apertures.

connected with the said fiues, a movable apertured plate subjacent the said riffies, its apertures being normally covered thereby and means to adjust the position of the said plate in relation to the said rifiles so as to uncover the said apertures.

10. In an ore separator, a transversely movable frame, parallel air fiues thereon, a plurality of hollow riflies having an orifice in one of their sides and connected with the said fiues, a movable apertured plate subjacent the said rifiies, its apertures being normally covered thereby, means to adjust the position ofthe said plate in relation to the said riflles so as to uncover the said apertures and means to impart a transverse reciprocatory movement to the said frame.

&

11. In an ore separator, a longitudinally inclined, movable frame, parallel air fines thereon, a plurality of hollow rifiles having an orifice in one of their sides and connected With the said fines, a movable apertured plate subjaeent the said riflles, its apertures being normally covered thereby, means to adjust the position of the said plate in relation to the said riflles so as to uncover the said apertures, means to impart a, reeipro- 1o eatery movement to the said frame, and means to adjust the inclination of the frame. In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH F. l;\( I IGT'I. \Vitnesses G. J. Ronnmnm, lt. M. S'rnnr. 

